Architecture Guide

Home features:
Arches
Columns
Dormers
Roofs
Windows
Classic Moulding

Architecture:
Art Deco
California Bungalow
Cape Cod
Colonial
Contemporary
Craftsman
Creole
Dutch Colonial
Federal
French Provincial
Georgian
Gothic Revival
Greek Revival
International
Italianate
Monterey
National
Neoclassical
Prairie
Pueblo
Queen Anne
Ranch
Regency
Saltbox
Second Empire
Shed
Shingle
Shotgun
Spanish Eclectic
Split Level
Stick
Tudor
Victorian

Dutch Colonial --This American style originated in homes built by German, or "Deutsch" settlers in Pennsylvania as early as the 1600s. A hallmark of the style is a broad gambrel roof with flaring eaves that extend over the porches, creating a barn-like effect. Early homes were a single room, and additions were added to each end, creating a distinctive linear floor plan. End walls are generally of stone, and the chimney is usually located on one or both ends. Double-hung sash windows with outward swinging wood casements, dormers with shed-like overhangs, and a central Dutch double doorway are also common. The double door, which is divided horizontally, was once used to keep livestock out of the home while allowing light and air to filter through the open top. The style enjoyed a revival during the first three decades of the 20th century as the country looked back with nostalgia to its colonial past.